All you need to do is grab a bunch of people and come down toLykes Gaslight Square Parkon Friday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m to take on the 10,000 Scoop Challenge. The goal: to give away ten-thousand scoops of Moose Tracks to raise $10,000 for the great work The Salvation Army is doing in our community. Together, we can make sure 10,000 scoops get eaten!

The event is 100% free and open to the community! Hope to see you out in Tampa’s Downtown for a good cause!

After a bedtime story (our current favorite is My Very Very Smelly Breath), we love to talk about our day and anything on our mind. Last night, my six-year old wanted to talk about how much fun we had with all our friends at our Disney party and how lucky we were to have had such a magical day!

I said, “Not everybody get to have a magical day sometimes! And your magical powers helped us bring smiles to all the kids at our party!”

My 6 year old responded,

“But Mommy, what about everyone that wasn’t invited?! How can I use my magic powers to help other kids have a magic day?”

I think she meant a good day, but nonetheless, it steamed into a conversation about using our powers for good and helping others when we can.

This got me thinking that it might be a teachable moment for me to show her where the power of giving can be her magical power. To help others.

I know it might seem early, but I personally feel that the earlier kids can start to volunteer and give back it will lead into getting kids to thinking about how they can help others. And there are so many ways!

We decided to look into volunteering at a food bank and it just so happened that Feeding America Tampa Bay was having a Girl Scout Hunger 101 event. She is a 2nd year Daisy, so this was a perfect fit! It was an age appropriate introduction and hands on experience for her to learn about how we can help others.

Knowing we were going to talk about hunger, we collected and brought with us food that we could donate to others who might be hungry.

We sat in on a session where the instructor talked to the kids about what hunger is and how some kids don’t know if they will have dinner when they go home from school. We talked about what they liked to eat and how it might feel if they went to be hungry.

{Feeding America Tampa Bay pictured above.}

We got a tour of their warehouse and also helped sort 1400 lbs of food! Everybody helped in some way and together we were able to help feed 171 people with meals from the food we helped with.

My girls were amazed that some kids go to bed hungry. They had so many questions. But that was good, because it shows me they are thinking. They loved using their magical super powers knowing they helped bring smiles to kids’ that might be sad because they were hungry.

“Mommy, can we go back and help again?”

“Of course we can.”

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From the Disney Citizenship website: At Disney, we believe that our concern for kids and families must extend beyond their entertainment to the world in which they live. We aim to inspire people to think creatively, live healthier, conserve nature and strengthen our communities.

On April 15-17, 2016, the worlds largest service event is happening thanks to YSA. We hope you consider being a part of this awesome movement!

Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) celebrates and mobilizes the millions of young people who improve their communities through service. GYSD is the largest service event in the world and the only one dedicated to the contributions that children and youth make 365 days of the year.

GYSD is celebrated each year in more than 135 countries, with young people working together–and with schools, youth organizations, nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, national service programs, government agencies, and adult mentors– to address the world’s most critical issues and change their communities.

Thank you to BSM Media & Mom Select and Disney World Resorts for choosing our family to host a #DisneyKids play date and inspiring my kids to be the change in the world by helping others. “You can’t start a fire without a spark.”